Abstract

Scope

The aim of this document has been to define standard procedures for dealing with dialysis patients once the first cases of novel Coronavirus 2019-nCoV (Covid-19) were confirmed among the Italian population.

Applicability

These procedures, that refer exclusively to the hospital’s dialysis rooms, are currently implemented at the ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo in Milan and two smaller centers in the Milan area.

Description

We describe the preemptive measures adopted by the staff at our dialysis unit since 24/02/2020, in order to slow down the transmission of Covid-19. They have allowed us to adopt a uniform approach towards all patients, streamlining the way we identify and deal with suspected, likely and confirmed Coronavirus infections. To start with, all patients coming to the hospital for their dialytic session have been treated as potentially infectious and everybody has been following closely the standard protocols regarding personal protective equipment (PPE).